Johnnie Morton sues as number of NFL concussion lawsuits tops 80

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 23, 2012, 7:02 AM EST

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There are now more than 80 concussion-related lawsuits against the NFL.

Johnnie Morton et al v. NFL was filed in the Superior Court of California, and according to NFLConcussionLitigation.com, that’s the 81st concussion suit to be brought against the NFL. Morton, who played for the Lions, Chiefs and 49ers, is the most prominent of the 13 former players who are part of this lawsuit.

If Morton is feeling the effects of concussions, it will be interesting to hear how he can say he knows for sure those effects came from football, because the hardest hit to the head he ever took was in another sport, mixed martial arts. Morton was brutally knocked out in 38 seconds in his one and only MMA fight and had to be carried out of the ring on a stretcher. (Adding insult to injury, Morton wasn’t even paid for the fight because he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.)

At least 2,240 former NFL players have filed lawsuits against the NFL over concussions.

Man I hope these lawsuits get dismissed… I’m not sayin that some of these guys aren’t legitametly hurting, but I have seen no evidence the NFL intentially hid anything from them, plus they signed up to play a violent brutal sport… They knew there were health risks and accepted them for the money. Now they’ve probably blown through their money and have no health insurance (because few of them want to work after football) so they are signing up for a money grab… Its a shame….

All these people blaming Goodell for “ruining” football need to aim a little of their venom at these players’ lawsuits. Players who say “We know what we signed up for, it’s a violent sport” today will change their tune in years to come as lawyers offer them one final payday from the league.
THIS is the reason the NFL has no choice but to change the way it does business. The alternative is being out of business.

tinkletinkleonyourstar says:
May 23, 2012 7:14 AM
why are these players just targeting the nfl?
seriously though, why are they not suing their respective colleges, high schools, pop warner and pee wee leagues?
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I’m guessing the fact that the NFL is a 10 billion dollar a year industry might have something to do with it.

Big question…of the people involved in these lawsuits, how many had their career shortened by concussions vs. those who faded away or just lost the ability to play at the highest level? Anyone who’s made it above 50-55 should be excluded also, as the most damning deaths possibly tied to concussions are the 30-45 year old former players who’s brain is equal to that of an 80 year old with dementia. If you’ve made it beyond 50 and can function well enough to understand this lawsuit, you’re not suffering “the effects of multiple concussions,” it’s more the effects of blowing any cash you once had.

I’ve been following PFT’s posts, and reading the comments occasionally, and I firmly believe that nobody in PFT-world is looking at anything other than the skin-layer of all of this.

A few points to consider the issues more deeply:

-The NFL never wanted head injuries to be a hot topic in the media because football and head injuries probably go hand in hand in a way nobody can prevent without destroying the game

-The NFL, of all its assets and employees, has the least control over what their players can say. Talking more about concussions with players is synonymous with talking more about concussions with the media and thus, the general public.

-The legal team for the players aren’t foolish…ethically, they know they can’t hold the NFL as responsible as their litigation suggests for the medical impact of playing football. However, it is fair to say that the NFL has made no attempt to make everyone and their mothers as aware as possible about concussions in order to protect their game and therefore profits. In order for that scheme to work, the players either must continue to not be fully aware, or they most join the NFL in their game of hush-hush.

-The purpose of this lawsuit likely evolved out of the NFL’s refusal to throw the players an extra bone or two, in the form of post-career medical coverage and other amenities, as they chose instead to try and institute safety precautions in the Goodell era.

-This legal battle, therefore, is the players showing a lack of cooperation until the NFL comes back to the table and finds a way to bring the players back into the fold, and place head injuries out of the spotlight in the media.

Is it a naive strategy? By both sides? Is it too late for the concussion thing to go away? I don’t know, but I have a strong hunch that this is apart of what is going on.

If I were the NFL I would have plenty of waiver forms on every sideline during games and practice and force the players to waive any right to sue the NFL over potential injuries that they may incur as a result of playing a sport that they voluntarily play.

I am sick of the players getting things every way they want it. They knew the risks and played anyway.

The NFL needs to dramatically reduce player salaries due to the potential for future lawsuits on behalf of the players.

I find irony in the entire process, all the lawsuits about post damage to their bodies but yet the players don’t want to wear knee & thigh pads. Geez, 10 years from now they will be suing about lower body damage too !!!!!!!!!!!

I’m still trying to figure out who forced these guys to play football. Could someone help me out?
That’s why you made 6+ figures, because of the risk. High risk, high reward. And all NFL players are rewarded quite handsomely.

This all “stinks” of a money grab from players 1-81 and not a one of them has collected any settlement funds as of yet.The persons who end up being placed in the jury pool[ assuming it goes that far] should see through all of this rouge and rule in the Leagues favor accordingly !Our society today has become completely sue crazy with ambulance chasers waiting in line to file briefs, in hopes of collecting from the “gravy train”…Sad !!

Out of the many words in your post, this is the only relevant idea. It does not matter if the NFL announced they were shutting down the NFL altogether and distributing half the proceeds of cashing out to all current and former NFL players (and water boys).

This is a legal battle, and there would be proceedings to pursue the remaining half. Shakespeare said it so well, so long ago. “First thing we do”……………….

Morton had some great years in Detroit and it was a bummer when he left. He took one of the most colossal hits I’ve seen in any game – any sport!

Lions were playing Browns in the Pontiac Silverdome (this was before the Browns defected to Baltimore). Someone got the bright idea to see what would happen if Johnny Morton returned punts.

On paper this was a great idea. Morton had great hands and incredible speed. What happened however … Johnny Morton didn’t remember to raise his hand for a fair catch. He got nailed, full speed, within a half second of catching the ball.

Kablam! doesn’t even come close to describing what happened!

That hit goes beyond being a highlight video. It should be an instructional video about the consequences of not calling a fair catch!